Welcome to UCF Knights on SI's countdown to kickoff!In this series, we are going to introduce you to every single player on the 2026 UCF football roster so that you can know what to expect from them or even pinpoint the ones you want to follow throughout the coming season. We are going to go through the Knights' roster in reverse jersey-number order, with the day each player's entry is published corresponding to the number of days remaining until UCF's season-opener on Sep. 3 at 7 p.m. against Bethune-Cookman.So, with nine days to go, let's meet UCF wide receiver Waden Charles:Who is Waden Charles?What did he do last season?What role is he going to have in 2026?1. Who is Waden Charles?Position: Wide ReceiverClass: SophomoreHeight/Weight: 6-foot-2 / 195 poundsHometown: Boynton Beach, FloridaHigh School: Somerset Canyons High SchoolWaden Charles has become one of the Knights' more publicly visible players, not just for earning playing time last season as a freshman, but also by becoming a co-host of Season 2 UCFast Cast alongside fellow receiver Duane Thomas Jr., who said the young wideout helped him become more vocal."He helped me out last year a lot, just being on a vocal standpoint, just helping me lead the other guys in that room last year, and he's been doing the same thing this year,' Thomas Jr. said. "He's going to do an amazing job. Y'all going to be able to see him make plays and see a lot more."2. What did he do last season?Charles made the most of his first college football season, playing in all 12 of the Knights' games last season and starting six of them. He caught 26 passes for 290 yards, the third-most by a UCF receiver in 2025.3. What role is he going to have in 2026?With Charles' increased receptions late in the 2025 season, momentum is seemingly on his side to become a starter for the Knights in 2026.Following an April 18 practice session, wide receivers coach Sean Beckton called Charles one of the leaders of the position group."I knew last year that he was going to be a leader in this program, and he doesn't know it, but a lot of times, I depend on him to get after some of the other guys in other spots on offense sometimes, and, you know, that's part of him continue to grow and showing that he can lead this offense," Beckton said.The biggest question remaining for Charles is just how much of a target share he is going to get in 2026; something muddled by the return of Thomas Jr., tight end Dylan Wade, the recovery of DayDay Farmer and the arrival of transfers like Josh Derry and Jonathan Bibbs and true freshman Tyren Hornes.However, regardless of how quarterback Alonza Barnett III distributes targets, his position as a young leader for the Knights remains firm."It's definitely, definitely something that I take a lot of pride in," Charles said during the Knights' local media day. "I appreciate my coaching staff and all the players that believe in me and trust in me and my abilities on and off the field, just to be that leader for them."Catch up on the rest of the list below:No. 10 Kaleb Annett and Sincere EdwardsNo. 11 Landen Chambers and Ken TalleyNo. 12 Keyone Jenkins and Aymeric KoumbaNo. 13 Caleb RollersonNo. 14 Alonza Barnett III and Kahmel JohnsonNo. 15 Will Stone and Preston HallNo. 16 Dante Carr and TJ BranchNo. 17 Jailen DuffieNo. 18 Caleb Flagg and Caden PieningNo. 19 Rashad HenryNo. 20 Lewis Carter and Kaj BakerNo. 21 Ty BartrumNo. 22 Amarion QueenNo. 23 Jordan Nunuha and Jayden BurnettNo. 24 Tackett Curtis and Arthur Lewis IVNo. 25 Rukeem StroudNo. 26 Duke Watson and Elijah KeysNo. 27 Nicholas AntoineNo. 28 Matt IrwinNo. 29 Tyce PorcherNo. 30 Otis HardyNo. 31 Noah McGoughNo. 32 Matthew OcchipintiNo. 33 Phil PicciottiNo. 34 Jahleel CulbreathNo. 35 Agyeman AddaeNo. 36 Dylan BennettNo. 37 Rocklyn KelleyNo. 38 Jayden JenningsNo. 39 Andrea ParisiNo. 41 Bruno DallNo. 42 Artavius Jones and Chance NixonNo. 43 Cole KozlowskiNo. 44 Kyle HicksNo. 45 Quentin HatchNo. 47 Arthur Kingdom and Sam PowellNo. 49 Atticus Bertrams and Donnell Johnson IIINo. 53 LaParka LangstonNo. 54 Cooper Terpstra and Trenton TurnerNo. 55 Jacob Maiava and Noah MercerNo. 56 Patrick RyanNo. 57 Camp LottNo. 58 Connor MeadowsNo. 61 Owen SpellNo. 66 Brady WayburnNo. 67 Noah SenkaNo. 68 Ethan HigginsNo. 70 RaiShaun McHaneyNo. 71 Amahn WilliamsNo. 72 Dominick CampbellNo. 73 Henry TabansiNo. 74 Matthew PrigmoreNo. 75 Tyler GibsonNo. 76 Justin RoyesNo. 77 Kasiyah CharltonNo. 78 Preston CushmanNo. 79 Daniel MarcellinusNo. 80 Elijah HardyNo. 81 Zack PalmerNo. 82 Jordyn BridgewaterNo. 83 Dylan BurkNo. 84 Thomas WadsworthNo. 85 Carson HinshawNo. 86 Chase HinshawNo. 87 Brooks HallNo. 88 Grayson BrousseauNo. 90 Mujahid JeffersonNo. 91 Donteye DrewNo. 92 Jeffson LafontantNo. 93 Brad GurleyNo. 94 L A Jesse HarroldNo. 95 RJ Jackson Jr.No. 96 Anthony CoaxumNo. 97 Josh Schell and Mason DenabergNo. 98 Alhassan IddrissuNo. 99 Thomas CollinsAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow